Courageous
by Spikesdoll
Summary: Set after Mid Term, Clark has to decide if he has the courage to accept the consequences from the trip to Metropolis and what does he want from Chloe.


**Courageous** (Immediately set after "Mid Term")

"_Sometimes, all it takes is courage"_

**Prologue **

"Wait" said Clark reaching out and grabbing Chloe by the arm.

Slowly, Chloe sat back on the bed. She was cradling the pillow in her arms, holding it in front of her naked body, shielding from whatever was coming. They looked at each other in silence for a second before Clark continued to speak. "Chloe, I…I…wanted to…."

Before he could even begin the phone rang. Her eyes shot towards the insulting object as Clark hesitated before letting his grip go from her arm and walked towards the nightstand.

"Hello" he said with his eyes still on her.

"Clark" said Jonathan on the other side of the line.

"Hey dad…"

"Son, your mother and I wanted to know when you were planning on heading back to Smallville"

"We were getting ready to leave when you called" answered Clark as he gazed up at Chloe, who remained sitting at the other end of the bed, still clutching the pillow in her arms. "We'll be there soon"

"Sounds good" added Jonathan before he continued "remember that your mother and I were going to go visit Aunt Doris today, so we won't be coming back until late tonight. Tell Chloe that her dad wants her to call him when you guys get back."

"I'll tell her…" he trailed off anxious to get off the phone.

"Ok, see you tonight. Be careful."

"Bye Dad"

"Your dad wants you to call him to his hotel in Metropolis when you get back to Smallville" said Clark and he made his way back to her.

Chloe nodded as he approached her side. Reaching out he took her hand in his and gently brought it up to his lips and kissed it. Letting it go he added "we need to get going"

**Chapter 1 – Worry**

As they drove back to the farm, Chloe gazed out the window of her car, her eyes scanning the green patches of grass that extended all around them, creating a natural patchwork quilt.

They drove in silence for most of the ride, occasionally exchanging a few words when they discussed what CD they would listen to. Chloe had been too concerned to ask what he had wanted to talk about. She imagined a few case scenarios but quickly dismissed them as they got too optimistic. The past had taught her that, whenever it came down to Clark, all she could expect was heartbreak.

Instead of wondering any longer she decided to close her eyes and remember all the events of last night. Although she was not a virgin, this time had felt completely new. Maybe it had been the fact that first times are supposed to be awkward however she thought it had been the fact that it was Clark. Ever since she realized she had developed feelings for him, she had fantasized about being in his arms and kissing him. As she grew older his fantasy Clark went from kissing her softly and tenderly to making love to her in unexpected places with no inhibitions or reserves. She had imagined him doing things she didn't even know if he knew how to do. But now she knew what techniques he was acquainted with, what things he could do to make her hot and bothered. And for a second she wondered if he had had any previous experience she didn't know of. She remembered the summer in Metropolis, when he had run away from home, and thought that maybe it had happened then. She felt the need to ask and find out but her worries prevented her from speaking up. Sighing, she let her thoughts go back to a more mundane and less philosophical aspect of the subject.

Consumed in his thoughts Clark had some concerns of his own. He knew that there was something they shared but he couldn't put his finger on it. Actually he was worried to find out what it was and loose her in the process. He had never thought that he and Chloe could share something so passionate like what they had had the night before. He fantasized about sex but this had been different. It had been raw sex…and yet it wasn't empty lust and desire. He had felt the urgency to touch her fevered skin, to feel her underneath and around him and yet, he remembered the way her eyes fluttered open, the way she had spoken soft words of passion and how her mouth curved in a perfectly shaped O when she came. The thoughts of her mouth and the way she felt to the touch flooded his senses making him extremely hard.

Casually he tried to adjust himself, pretending his seat belt was bothering him. He turned to look at her and saw her eyes were closed. He was tempted to bring up some trivial conversation, but he worried it would trigger a whole conversation they weren't ready to have.

**Chapter 2 – Anxiety**

Clark pulled into the driveway in front of the farm house as the clock read 9:45. He parked and turned to look at Chloe. She was still asleep, her head pushed back against the head rest, her lips slightly parted. She looked beautifully serene and content.

The thought about his parents being gone for the day and the possibility of having more time alone with her made him anxious. He considered waking her up but it felt like a sin to disturb her nap. Instead he concentrated on enjoying the view and hoped she would wake up soon. He noticed the way her chest rose with each breath, how her bangs fell delicately over her forehead, the manner in which her long eyelashes rested over her white skin and how she appeared to glow in the early morning sun light.

Clark unbuckled his seat belt and shifted in his seat, scooting over closer to her. Reaching out, he touched her cheek with the very tip of his fingers. He continued to run his hand down her jaw bone, tracing the contours of her chin before moving back up and delicately feel the soft skin of her earlobe and neck. Chloe moved in her sleep as he outlined her collar bone and dipped his fingers further down to caress the curve of her breast.

As his hand moved down the side of her arm, her eyes fluttered open. She looked around and out the window before she sat up and gazed at Clark.

"Hey…" he said rewarding her with a gorgeous smile.

"Hey there…we are here…" she said yawning.

Clark looked at the clock and said "Been here for 10 minutes now…."

"Why didn't you wake me up?" asked Chloe as she adjusted her hair.

"You looked so peaceful and I knew that you didn't get much sleep last night"

The moment he finished the sentence Chloe's cheeks turned bright red. They shared an awkward moment of silence before she grabbed her bag and got out of the car.

Clark followed Chloe in the house as he carried his mother's picnic baskets. Once inside he set them on the kitchen counter and offered her something to drink. Clark started to anxiously pace around the kitchen as he looked for something to drink and something to say. Taking a deep breath he circles the kitchen island and approached Chloe. In a swift motion, he put his arms around her waist, bringing her closer and kissing her passionately.

Chloe's body stiffened at first and a few seconds into the kiss she let herself go. She brought her arms up holding on to Clark as he leaned in closer to deepen the kiss. His mouth opened hungrily over hers and his tongue plundered her mouth passionately. He felt her legs spread allowing him further access as his hands held on tightly to her waist.

Gasping for air, Chloe broke the kiss and tilted her head back to give him access to her neck.

"Oh Clark…" she said as he tugged at her sweater and grazed his teeth over the exposed soft skin of her shoulder.

"I've wanted to do this all morning…" he said as he nuzzled her neck.

"Then why didn't you?" she asked with her hands buried in his hair.

"I don't know…" he uttered as he moved up and captured her mouth ferociously once again. Picking her up, he carried her to into the living room and set her on the couch in front of the fireplace. Clark knelt in front of her and started to caress her leg. His hand moved up the calf and back down feeling the soft skin under his fingers. He brought her foot up to rest on his knee and eased off her sneaker. Slowly he did the same with the other one as he continued to roam his hands up and down her legs. Looking up at her he saw that she was biting her lower lip, her eyes wide open and fixed on him.

"What are you doing?" she asked with a smirk on her face.

"That depends" he started to say as he smiled seductively "what do you want me to do to you?"

Grabbing him by the shirt she brought him closer to her and kissing him said "do whatever you want…"

Later that afternoon, they lay together on the couch, a red blanket wrapped around them. Chloe's head was resting on his chest while Clark absently played with s strand of her hair.

"It gets better every time…" said Clark.

"You think?" asked Chloe propping herself up on her elbow and looking at him.

"You don't?" said Clark, his smile disappearing instantly.

"Well…it's only been 3 times...with me at least" she trailed off.

Clark looked up at her. He was puzzled; her comment had been so disconcerting that he was having trouble finding the right words.

"Just how much experience are we talking about here Clark?" asked Chloe.

Clark's eyes grew bigger. His cheeks reddened furiously as he started to stutter.

"Errr….what does that got to do with us?" he asked nervously.

"Well…I didn't know if you were referring to us or if you were talking in general"

"I meant us Chloe…that's all that matters to me" he said, his voice sounding a little hurt.

"I'm sorry…" she started to say "I shouldn't have asked that"

She tried to get up but Clark's arm snaked around her waist and prevented her from getting up.

"Chloe…wait…do you really want to know?"

"Well…maybe you didn't have a reason to mention it before but I guess that judging the circumstances maybe you should now" said Chloe as she rested her head on his chest.

Clark sighed and begun to speak.

"It happened when I was in Metropolis. That summer I left."

"Who was it?" asked Chloe.

"Nobody I cared about"

"What's her name?"

Clark hesitated and took a deep breath. Chloe realized that she had pushed it too far and decided he had probably said enough.

"Clark, I'm sorry…that is none of my business" she begun to say but he interrupted her speech by placing a finger over her lips.

"I don't remember her name. Because I didn't care about her, I don't remember…I don't remember any of them."

"Them?" asked Chloe sitting and bringing up the blanket to cover her chest.

"Everything was very crazy. I wasn't myself. You remember how I was" he trailed off as he brushed the side of her arm with the tip of his fingers.

Chloe nodded and after a few seconds said "I didn't know…"

"Are you upset?" asked Clark sitting up next to her and putting his arm around her.

"No…I should have known that maybe I was going to hear something I didn't want to know. Sometimes I wondered about it… I just wasn't really expecting it" she said and offered him a shy smile.

"I know what you mean…sometimes I wondered about you…although deep inside I knew" he said.

"What did you know?" asked Chloe as her own eyes grew large in surprise.

"Well…we've always been around each other and…I think you never…you know" he trailed off as he looked away embarrassed at the situation.

Chloe's cheeks turned really red and she felt really nervous. Clark thought she was a virgin and she didn't know how to break the news or if she wanted to. She hesitated and begun to say "Clark…there was one time…when you were not around…"

His head shot up and his eyes focused on her. Was he hearing correctly? What was Chloe going to say?

She gulped and taking a deep breath continued.

"The summer after the formal…in Metropolis…someone I met then."

Nothing could have prepared Clark for what she had confessed. He wasn't upset, he was shocked. All that time he had thought differently and now he was faced with the reality.

Chloe's eyes filled with tears at the realization that Clark might not want her now that he knew the truth. She reached out for her clothes and started to get dressed when he grabbed her hand and said "Chloe, don't…wait…I'm not upset…I guess I wasn't ready to hear that either…but its fair"

He brought her down with him, covering themselves with the blanket once again, resting in each others arms.

"Yes Dad…we are ok…don't worry…" said Chloe as she paced around the Kent's kitchen. "Ok,…love you too…bye"

"He won't be back until tomorrow, do you think I can stay here tonight?" asked Chloe setting the phone down on the counter.

Clark cleared his throat and looked at her. "I guess it will be ok…but do you think you can control yourself around my parents?" he said smirking at her.

Chloe reached out and grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl in front of her and slowly peeled the fruit. Locking eyes with Clark, she smiled and brought the fruit up to her lips, carefully positioning the tip inside her mouth and taking a delicate bite. Clark swallowed hard and smiled at the sight of Chloe and her phallic object. Circling around he approached her like an animal stalking its prey. He moved in closer, ready to capture her mouth with his once again when he heard his parent's truck pull up front.

"They are here…." he said with a slightly worried look on his face.

Chloe was talking the last bite of her banana when Jonathan and Martha walked in the door.

"Hey mom…dad" said Clark walking towards them and talking a couple of grocery bags from his mother's hands.

"Hello…" they said simultaneously. "I'm glad you are finally back….I was so worried" said Martha.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Kent" said Chloe as she herself stood up and helped with the groceries. "How was the trip?"

"Good…how about yours? Did you get enough time to complete the assignment?" asked Jonathan.

"Yes we did…" started to say Clark.

"Actually the delay was really good for us" said Chloe as Clark shot her a puzzled look. "We got the chance to finish the whole project….so we are officially done!"

Clark sighed and smiled back at her when he realized she was just trying to make him nervous.

"Good…I'm glad…are you hungry?" asked Martha as she put on her apron and walked to the refrigerator.

"Oh yes…I'm starving" said Clark.

"Ok…then go and let me cook supper…come on…off you go….both of you!" said Martha shooing them off with her hands.

**Chapter 2 – Panic I**

Dinner had been wonderful. Martha had cooked a feast in only a few hours and they had devoured it in no time. After dinner Martha offered Chloe a set of fresh towels so she could take a bath before going to bed.

Chloe climbed up the stairs and went into the bathroom. She could hear the old wood creek under her feet as she walked towards the tub. Laying the towels on a chair by the wall, she turned the water on and started to strip.

She put her hair up holding it with some pins she had and folded a small towel to use as a head rest. The warm water had filled the room with steam making her skin glisten in the light. Carefully she stepped into the water and laid back. Closing her eyes she sighed and let the warmth take over. Her body started to relax as the minutes went by, each one of her muscles loosening up. Her thoughts drifted over to Clark and the events of the last two days. In perspective it sounded like a surreal movie that she wouldn't have imagined in her wildest dreams. There had been some shyness in the beginning, followed by uncertainty and concern but now she felt that things were shaping up into an optimist profile. She started to wonder what would happen at school the following day. What would Clark do and how would they act in public. None of them had brought that up and honestly she didn't know how to approach it. She felt a cool breeze of air swept over her so she sunk deeper into the warm water, allowing it to cover her all the way up to her chin. Suddenly she heard the wooden floor creak and she opened her eyes to find Clark standing at the door staring at her.

"Are you going to stand there all night or are you going to come in?" she asked as she submerged completely under the water.

When she emerged Clark was standing by the tub, his hands stuck deep in his pockets.

"If they catch you here you are dead meat Kent" said Chloe laughing.

"Shhhh… they went to bed a few minutes ago but they are not asleep yet" said Clark gazing in his parent's room direction.

"Ok, ok…so you better go then…if you don't want to get caught" she finished saying as she grabbed a bottle of shampoo from the side shelf.

"I just wanted to see you…" he trailed off as he knelt down and inserted his arm in the water. His hand found the soft flesh of her stomach and gently started to stroke it.

"Mmmm…." Said Chloe forgetting the shampoo bottle she was holding and resting back against the tub. "That's nice…."

Clark's head shot up and he appeared to be listening to something.

"What?" she begun to say but he covered her mouth with his other hand until he whispered "Got to go…see you in my room"

And with that he was gone almost instantly.

Chloe opened the door and padded into Clark's room. She was wearing one of his t-shirts that on her looked more like a dress.

Clark was lying on the air mattress. He had set his sleeping bag on it and was already in it reading a book. He looked up at her when she entered the room and gifted her with a smile.

"I thought we could leave early tomorrow morning and stop by your house so you can get a set of clean clothes and your books" he said as he closed the book and set it on the floor right next to him.

"Sounds good" she said as she started to walk towards him "So…you didn't tell me if you liked what you saw in the bathroom"

Clark smiled and flushed as she knelt on the mattress and proceeded to straddle his lap.

"Yes ma'am" he said putting his arms around her and bringing her down for a kiss. The soft kiss grew more passionate and soon his hands were reaching under the hem of her t-shirt. His thumbs found the soft flesh of her stomach and started to trace circular patterns over it. She smiled against his lips when his hands touched a sensitive spot on her side. In a flash Clark had her on her back and him on top, kissing her passionately. He started to pull up the fabric when he heard a creak outside his door. Without delay he had set Chloe on his bed and he was back on the air mattress. Just then the door flew open to reveal Jonathan standing in the hall.

"Kids, you better go to sleep…Clark you have chores to do before you go anywhere…remember that" he said and with that he wished them good night and closed the door.

Chloe was deeply asleep in just a few minutes, but her presence made Clark very uncomfortable. He tossed and turned, trying to go to sleep but it was stronger than he was. It was already midnight when he decided to go downstairs and sleep on the couch.

Laying in the living room all the memories of earlier flooded his mind, even when his father almost walked in on them. Clark panicked and didn't know how to react or what to say. Thank God he had heard him with enough time to alert Chloe. He wanted to be with her, but he knew that his parents wouldn't approve of anything that had happened. Although they had not mentioned anything, Clark felt that his dad had his suspicions. He didn't know how he knew, but he was certain that he sensed something. How was he going to explain himself? How was he going to explain the situation to his parents?

With those thoughts in mind he drifted off to sleep.

"Clark…Wake up" said Chloe leaning over him.

"What?'

"What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep up there…" he said as he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Oh….", she said "well, its time to get up, I'm going to get dressed"

Clark got up and headed upstairs to the bathroom when he heard whispering coming from his parent's bedroom. Resting his back against the wall he listened.

"Jonathan…are you sure?" asked Martha.

"I think so…I heard talking in the bathroom and then when I went to check on them before they went to bed, everything looked very suspicious. They are up to something…"

"But I don't think Clark would do anything like this in our home…not after what happened with that girl Alicia, remember?"

"Yes…I thought he would have learned his lesson but something is going on between those two…I can tell…maybe something happened in Metropolis, have you thought of that? he asked.

"Oh dear God, Gabe would never forgive us if something happened then…" said Martha mortified at the idea of having to explain herself and her son's potential actions to Chloe's dad. "He has always trusted us and…now we've allowed this to happen"

"I really don't know if he is aware of what a huge responsibility this is…"

Clark stood there, listening intently. After a few minutes he rushed to the bathroom and from there to finish his chores before going to school. Chloe was waiting at the front porch when he got back.

"Ready?" she asked standing up and walking towards the car.

"Chlo, I think you might want to get going yourself. I still have some things to take care of and I don't want to make you late" he apologized to her as he gave her a small kiss on the forehead and walked away.

Chloe stood there confused and baffled. Something had changed in Clark, she could feel it; it was like a vibe coursing through her veins. Was he ashamed of what had happened? Was that it? Was it that he didn't want to arrive to school with her?

A small tear rolled down her cheek as she started the car and drove off.

**Chapter 3 – Panic II**

"Get off my back Pete" said Chloe as she shut her planner and headed out the office.

Pete was sitting on the couch, his back pack set right next to him. Something was bothering her and it probably had to do with Clark. He had to get to him and find out.

During PE Clark and Pete were running silently side by side on the track.

"So Clark…how did the Art assignment go?" he asked.

"Ok…."

"Ok…how was the trip? He insisted.

"Ok" said Clark.

Pete slowed down and finally stopped and pulled Clark aside. "What's going on man?" he asked as he leaned forward pretending he was hyperventilating. "Come on Clark…what's going on with Chloe?"

"Nothing is going on with Chloe" Clark snapped back at him.

"Ok, ok…I'm sorry bro…" he apologized. "But…I'm worried…Chloe was a wreck this morning and now you are about to snap my neck if I don't lay off….what's the matter?"

Clark took a deep breath and contemplated the idea of coming clean with his best friend.

"Pete, you can't mention this to anyone…and I mean no-one…please…." Clark started to say.

"Ok man…I promise"

"Saturday, Chloe and I we were caught in the storm outside Metropolis. It was raining badly so we had to make a stop and continue the trip the following morning."

"Ok…" said Pete following Clark's narration.

"That night, Chloe and I slept together…" said Clark.

Pete just looked at him. What Clark had just said didn't seem to bother him. He even looked at Clark as if nothing was the matter.

"Ok….so what's the problem?" he asked. "We stay at each others houses all the time"

"Pete!" Clark interrupted "Chloe and I slept together, with each other….we had sex" said Clark, exasperated at his best friend.

Pete almost turned white when he heard Clark's revelation.

"You what? How?...What?"

"What do you mean how?...like….you know…like everybody else" explained Clark. "I'm not going to give any details, but we did…twice…" said Clark as they saw the coach waving for them to start running again.

"Twice?" inquired Pete, his eyes getting bigger and bigger with Clark's explanations.

"Well…twice at the hotel…and…one more time at the farm when we got back."

Pete shook his head and after a few minutes of silence said "Damn Clark! You two are humping like bunnies!"

"PETE! …Someone can hear you…"

"Still man, way to go bro!" said Pete putting his hand up in the air for a high five. "Cool you two are dating now…."

"We didn't quite talk about that yet….", said Clark as they approached the end of the third lap.

"So you start from back to front then…" stated Pete and seeing Clark's puzzled look proceeded to explain. "Everyone starts dating and then they move on to the heavier stuff….you, on the other hand get laid first and then consider the dating"

"It's not that…I think my parents know…I overheard them talking about this…they would kill me if they knew and they would never forgive me that I took advantage of Chloe" said Clark.

"But it's not your fault…and Chloe knows what she is doing…" added Pete.

"I don't think this is such a good idea…"

"Why not?"

"Because….everyone is going to get upset and we are going to hurt a lot of people if we go through with this."

"Clark, your parents have to deal with the fact that you are growing and so does Chloe's dad. You know you didn't take advantage of Chloe so there is nothing wrong with the situation. It is normal."

"I don't know…I'm not sure…what if this hurts our friendship?"

"Clark, you did the deed already, remember? There is no coming back now. The only thing left for you to do is decide if you want to have a romantic relationship with Chloe or nothing at all"

Stopping one more time Pete looked at Clark and asked "Man, do you love Chloe or not?"

Later that afternoon, Clark walked in the Talon looking for Chloe. He had avoided the Torch's office and her all day. Scanning the room he saw her sitting at the counter sipping from a mug and talking to Martha.

In a hurry, he approached them and said "Hey mom…Chloe…"

"Hello sweetheart…how was school today?" asked Martha as she reached out to hand a couple of muffins to one of the waitresses.

Clark looked at Chloe for a brief second and with an indifferent 'ok' dismissed the question.

"Yeah…your mom and I were just talking about that, Clark: started to say Chloe. "I told her that I had not seen you at all today…where were you?"

Clark hesitated and then said "I kinda got caught in the football practice…."

"I didn't know there was practice today darling" interrupted Martha as she set a glass of orange juice in front of Clark. "Did they change your schedule?"

"Mmmm…yes…I mean…no…..I just felt like practicing with some of the guys" he added quickly busying himself with a blueberry muffin.

Clark wanted to talk to Chloe and explain what was going on, but he didn't want to hurt her. He thought she was not going to understand where he was coming from and she will be very upset. He had a sense of déjà vu for a brief second and his thoughts flew back to the time he had broken her heart at the formal.

Martha had gone over to the cappuccino machine when Clark leaned closer to Chloe and whispered. "Chlo, we need to talk…"

Chloe turned and faced Clark. He turned around on his stool and resting his back against the counter faced the floor. Her eyes scanned his figure, he seemed to be ignoring her…he was avoiding all physical proximity or contact with her.

In a soft voice she asked "What's the matter?"

Out of the corner of his eye he tried to see where his mother was. He needed to talk to Chloe but he didn't want to arise any other suspicion from his parents. Clark was searching for the right words when he saw Martha approach them. Instantly, Clark turned away his attention trying to find something irrelevant to say to Chloe while his mother was within hearing distance. His eyes scanned the Talon; there was a group of girls sitting at one of the corner tables, they were all giggling and stealing glances at him. Ever since he became Smallville High's quarterback, he was getting much more attention from the opposite sex, probably much more attention than he wanted. In an attempt to divert the attention and suspicions from him and Chloe he stared at the girls at the table, he smiled and winked at them.

The girls laughed nervously and turned bright red when he stared at them appreciatively. When she heard the fuss, Chloe turned around to see where it was coming from and what was causing the commotion. The last thing she expected was to find out Clark was the reason why they were giggling. She turned to look at him and found him casually smiling and exchanging glances with them.

"What are you doing?" asked Chloe as she looked back and forth at the group and Clark.

"They are cute" replied Clark as he saw his mother standing behind the counter fixing a plate of assorted muffins. "Don't you think?"

Chloe felt her heart break into a million pieces. The last thing she expected was Clark to make a comment like that to her, especially after what had recently happened. She felt the tears well up in her eyes as she stared at him nonchalantly sitting at the counter, acting like a jerk to her. Chloe feared something was wrong, but she wasn't sure what it was. Before she was completely humiliated she decided it was time to go. Grabbing her bag she threw it on her shoulder and plastering on her face the biggest smile she had said "They are! Go get them boy!" Waving shyly she added "Good bye Mrs. Kent, coffee was wonderful"

**Chapter 4 - Courage**

Clark watched Chloe sorting the tables walking away from him. Inside, his heart sunk at the thought of having caused Chloe pain but he thought this was the safest thing to do, for everybody. All of a sudden everything around him disappeared. He turned back to face the counter and shift his attention back to the muffin. He absently played with it, breaking it into bite size pieces before expertly arranging them on the plate. Sadness took over him and the feeling of guilt became unbearable. He wished he could change the way he was feeling, but he realized that he cared for her…he couldn't stand the feeling of causing her pain…he needed her…..he wanted her….

"Clark…"

The sound of Martha's voice brought him back to reality. Looking up he met her blue eyes and her sweet smile.

"Clark, what's wrong?"

"Mom…did you ever want something you couldn't have?" he asked as he played with the muffin's crumbs.

Martha offered him a warm smile and reaching out took one of his hands in hers.

"You mean someone?" she asked as their eyes met again.

Clark froze for a second and then nodded.

"Clark, do you want to tell me what this is about?" she said gently rubbing her hand on his.

"Mom, I know you and dad are concerned about me and Chloe…" he begun to say, trying to gather his courage. "But you know that I would never hurt her, right?"

Martha nodded in silence as Clark continued to speak.

"For a while I denied I had feelings for her, but I can't do that any more….I care about her…a lot…" he said. "Something did happen between us…but it wasn't planned…it just happened…" he confessed as he reached out with his other hand to hold her mother's. "Maybe it wasn't the right thing to do, but I don't feel it was a mistake…"

"Sweetheart" said Martha as she extended her hand to caress Clark's face "we are not against you and Chloe being together, we are concerned that you might not know that this choice is a huge responsibility, for you more than for anyone else…your father and I only want what's best for you…"

"I know…but you have to trust me when I say I will never hurt Chloe…and that I would never do anything against her will…" he said as he pleaded with his eyes. "Mom, please believe me I wish it were different, but I can't lie and pretend things didn't happen…I have to be honest with you and dad and with Chloe and myself…I love her."

"Darling, your dad and I want you to know that even if we don't approve we know that it is a very important part in a man's life. We just wished it didn't happen so soon…do you understand?" she asked as she let go of his hands. Martha circled the counter and gave him a big hug.

"I think there is a girl you need to apologize to" she said and saw his figure disappear in a flash.

Chloe lay on her bed. Her arms were holding one of her favorite stuffed animals as the tears rolled down her face. Her eyes were red and puffy as she continued to sob uncontrollably. She didn't want to believe that this was happening, but then she knew that with Clark the only possible outcome was always heartbreak.

She rolled onto her back and closed her eyes hoping she could fall asleep and that way everything would go away. She could hear the birds singing outside her window and a distant truck driving by on the interstate. Her sobs subsided and she begun to fall asleep when there was a knock on her door. Quickly she dried the tears that had streaked down her face and rushed to the door. She stood there for a brief second adjusting herself before she flung the door open saying "Dad, you're early!"

Clark stood at her doorstep, holding a bunch of flowers from his mother's garden.

Chloe tried to slam the door in his face but his arm stopped it right before it shut.

"Get out!" she said as she walked back to her bed.

"Chloe, I need to talk to you…please….." he begged as he followed her.

"What do you want to talk about? You want to chat with me about the other girls in Smallville you can fuck?" she asked sarcastically as she flopped on the bed, holding her teddy bear in her arms.

"I'm sorry, but I can explain…."

"Don't bother…nothing you can say can make this better…."

Clark set the flowers on the dresser and sat by her side.

"Chloe, I like being with you…I really enjoyed this time we spent together...but…"

"Oh no…no buts…buts always invalidate whatever comes before them!" she interrupted.

"Chloe! Listen to me!" he demanded as he came closer to her and tried to take her hand in his. "I was scared that everyone would get upset at us if they found out…I overheard my parents talking about us this morning and I freaked out…."

"And you decide you will just pretend nothing happened? She asked as tears started coming down her face.

"Chloe, don't cry….please" he begged as he got on the bed and crawled to her side. Putting one arm around her said "I thought I could pretend nothing happened so no one would get hurt, but I didn't think this would hurt you…and me….both…much more than anybody else"

"All this was a mistake" said Chloe getting up and walking around the bed "we screwed up…we should have never done anything…."

"Chloe, don't say that…"

Clark stood up and walked to her. He cradled her face in his hands and kissed her softly.

Then he looked down into her eyes and said "I love you"


End file.
